Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping


1 ½ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 c. sugar
½ c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing
¼ c. milk
2 large eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
¼ c. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
1/3 c. chopped pecans, optional

Give the whole cake or perhaps just a few individually wrapped slices-each with its own fork. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x5 inch loaf pan. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Cream the sugar and ½ c. melted and cooled butter. Add the flour mixture, then the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well and pour into the prepared loaf pan. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a fork, cut in the ¼ c. cubed butter pieces and the pecan pieces. Mix to just combine. Distribute chunks of the cinnamon and pecan mixture over the batter. Bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove and cool for ten minutes on a wire rack. Loosen sides of the cake from the pan, give the pan a few taps, and slip the cake out of the pan. Reverse onto a wire rack and continue to cool.